Gas Prices have you down? Say shove it to big oil.

Ride! Just get on a bike and ride! Free yourself from the shackles of gas,oil, car payments and insurance. I am fortune to live in Portland Oregon, which is one of the most bike friendly places in the United States with a very good bike infrastructure. Here with proper planning bike routes to work can be easily made: I enjoy Google maps which is free but also has a bike route configurator which I have found to be very effective, although I would suggest testing the route out. Back to the task at hand; because of the simplicity of the bicycle and the lack of equipment required to use it (I believe helmets are a must) anyone can ride. History will dictate that when times are tough the bicycle thrives, and that is not to say that the bicycle does not thrive at other times. Soaring gas prices in the 1970's (sound familiar?) brought us a renaissance in bicycling and we are seeing patterns today. Why stretch your pockets out only to line the pockets of wealthy big oil executives who make a living gouging Americans? Enough of that I will get off if my soap box. I promised a lesson on the history of the bicycle and this is where my journey has taken me. While I could have started with the veloceode or other early incarnations of the bicycle I chose this because if its relevance today. While the 1970's elicited more relevance to the world we live in today during and after the second world war another resurgence of the bicycle occurred. History will dictate that when times are tough the bicycle endures.